so for those of you that have used it....how fine is it? is it like beach sand or more powdery. i saw some at the fish store and it was hard to tell through the bag. What are people opinions on the stuff? Had a bit of a tank problem and i am getting a new tank today and all of my fish are in rubbermaids right now. I was gonna try to get 3M quartz but i don't have the time to get it. What do people think of the moon sand?

I don't know what to compare the moon sand to...as this is the first sand that I have had in my tank and I am new to cichlids. I really like the look of the sand. It seems to make the colors of the fish really stand out. My only problem with it is that it gets dirty spots where the detritus builds up and it is really visible on the black sand. I don't feel like I can ever get it completely clean looking even right after a water change. Here is a link to a photo of the tank a few months ago when I first set it up.

I used three 20# bags of tahitian moon sand for my 46 gallon. I also have a tank with the white sand and it is more fine than the black, like a powder. The white sand is not as dense so I have a problem with it getting sucked up my intake tube and stuck in my impeller, thus causing my filter to make a loud and annoying noise. Will never recommend the white sand to anyone!! I put a black background on my 46 and it really completes the look. Here is a pic:

How do you clean your tank? I have a siphon and have found that I end up sucking up a bit of sand when I am trying to get detritus out. That is the only thing that I don't really like with this sand... My other fresh tanks all had gravel, so I am still trying to figure out the best way to clean and do water changes with the sand...any suggestions?

How do you clean your tank? I have a siphon and have found that I end up sucking up a bit of sand when I am trying to get detritus out. That is the only thing that I don't really like with this sand... My other fresh tanks all had gravel, so I am still trying to figure out the best way to clean and do water changes with the sand...any suggestions?

I have sand in my tank and use the python syphon and yes... you pretty much cannot avoid picking up some sand when you are cleaning it... In my case... I don't really care because I used cheap all-pupose sand and have an extra bag in my garage if I ever need to add more to the tank...

Are you using a regular syphon or a faucet type syphon (like the python)? either way you could empty the water into a bucket or rubber maid tub or something and the sand you pick up will fall to the bottom of the bucket/tub and you can add it back into the tank....

Also, you will never be able to completely clean your sand surface because if your fish are anything like mine... they poop a whole lot during and after water changes (probably because they are a bit freaked out).

You might want to consider getting a power head that will blow the poop towards your filter intake... might help a bit at least.

I have been doing essentially what you said in that I siphon into a bucket and add it back to the tank when I am completely finished. It's is frustrating though because even after the clean up and water change, I still find "pockets" of detritus that I missed. Oh well. I have an overflow box that the water goes into before going through the filter medium. I've wondered if that is part of the problem as well since the stuff has to be floating very high in the water column to go into the overflow box.... I don't know if a powerhead in the tank would help that or not...

I have been doing essentially what you said in that I siphon into a bucket and add it back to the tank when I am completely finished. It's is frustrating though because even after the clean up and water change, I still find "pockets" of detritus that I missed. Oh well. I have an overflow box that the water goes into before going through the filter medium. I've wondered if that is part of the problem as well since the stuff has to be floating very high in the water column to go into the overflow box.... I don't know if a powerhead in the tank would help that or not...

I miss pockets of poop all the time too... however... I have a canister filter and HOB filter with intakes aboout mid level in the tank... and I have the output of the canister on the opposite end of the tank pointing towards the intakes... so a lot of the poop does get pushed in that general direction and eventually into the intakes...

hmmm, that's a tough one since you got the overflow going (thats definitely not gonna pick up much poo)... seems kinda silly to invest in another filter just to get rid of visible poo... well... it might be worth it if it bothers you that much.

I stir up a lot of the waste from the bottom of my tank when I algae scrub. I then let it settle for about 15 minutes. Once all the waste has settled I go in with my python and skim the surface. I usually do a 25% water change once a week and once a month I clean my fluval canister filter. I do pick up some sand but not enough to measure anything significant. I do not see any pockets of waste in my tank at all. I believe it is because I have a great filter that picks up the most of the waste. I do not overfeed either. I have an all male tank with three labs, six peacocks and two yoyo loaches. The yoyo loaches do a great job of keeping the tank clean of uneaten food/waste. Hope I answered your question!